United States Custom House vs National Bank of North Philadelphia

Comparing the United States Custom House and the National Bank of North Philadelphia is interesting because they both stand in Philadelphia, PA, and were completed just one year apart, but they were designed by different architects.

This offers a unique glimpse at how rival designers approached projects in the same city during the same era.

The United States Custom House is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 285ft (87m) with 17 floors above ground, while the National Bank of North Philadelphia reaches 0ft (m) with 14 floors above ground.

Of course, each project may have faced different briefs or regulatory constraints, which we don't really know about and could also explain the outcome.

Both the United States Custom House and the National Bank of North Philadelphia were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Art Deco style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So both Ritter & Shay and William H. Lee followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

The United States Custom House is primarily governmental, while the National Bank of North Philadelphia is primarily residential.

Originally, the National Bank of North Philadelphia was designed for commercial, but over time it was converted to residential. The United States Custom House by contrast has maintained its original role.

The United States Custom House also provides 30 parking spaces.

These two towers illustrate the many possible ways to combine structure and enclosure in skyscraper design.